The Two-Way

6:55 pm

Mon June 25, 2012

Greek Workers Find Ancient Highway In Subway Dig

Officials unveiled an ancient road found during construction of Thessaloniki's new subway system Monday.

Nikolas GiakoumidisAP

A Greek city's new subway project has led to the discovery of an ancient road made of marble that was laid nearly 2,000 years ago. The road in Thessaloniki is made of paving stones that show signs of use by both horse-drawn carriages and local children, the AP reports.

Archaeologists tell the news agency that the discovery in Greece's second-largest city unearthed a 230-foot section of an ancient road that was built by Romans. They believe it was a main thoroughfare for the city, some 1,800 years ago. The road's path is roughly mirrored by an existing road in the city.

Portions of the road were shown to the public Monday. The surface of some large stones bore ruts from carts; others seemed to have been used to play board games.

The city reportedly plans to display it in a part of the subway system when it opens. Archaeologists also found a Greek-built road beneath the Roman-built surface. They estimate it to date from 2,300 years ago.

It was Thessaloniki's second brush with history in a week. On Friday, workers found a six-foot torpedo buried along a busy coastal highway along a waterfront that's being renovated. The torpedo was removed without incident.